Thinking of Coming for a Visit???

Now that we are settling in and learning our way around, we are excited to have visitors. Here is a little information to help you plan your trip!

We live in Puerto Madryn, Chubut province, Argentinian, at the northern end of Patagonia.  To get us, you must fly to Buenos Aires and then catch an Andes Air flight to Puerto Madryn.  The flights to Puerto Madryn from Buenos Aires are intermittent, and I think there is only one flight a day, around noon.  The flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn costs between $100 and $150 per ticket - each way, and it takes about 2 hours.  They usually fly old 737s, so it may bring back some memories of flying in the 80's.  The seats are close together, but at least it is not a prop plane - because it is BUMPY coming into Patagonia.  There is some serious wind in this land!

Bienvenidos a Nuestra Casa!

Puerto Madryn is on the coast.  It is in a bay, and it is gorgeous.  Every day (June - Nov.) the 60 foot long Southern Right whales are rolling, jumping, and playing close to the shore.  You can hear them breathing from our front door in the mornings.  Dogs rule the streets and wind rules the air.  It is FLAT.  This is the FLATagonia part of Patagonia.  We are not close to the Andes.  The ground is sandy; the plants are shrubs at best with espinas that want to kill you, and the air is so dry that body odor doesn't exist.  Seriously.

The kids enjoying their gigantic room!

We are also close to Peninsula Valdez.  We have yet to explore this as a family, but Adam was there two years ago and gawked at the bounty of penguins.  There are also seals and elephant seals with Orcas snatching them off the beach for a quick snack - INSANITY!!! Rheas, guanacos and maras inhabit the dry earth, but don't ask me what these things are.  I have no idea.  The peninsula is a few hours away, but promises some amazing wild life.

Head to Toe

 Where to stay... Currently, our living situation is stable until December 15th.  After that, we are not sure what we are going to do.  We are hoping to stay in our house until the end of December, and then return in February, but it may be too pricey since the cost goes to a day-rate for the summer months.  We plan to travel during the month of January, so if you want to see us you will need to track us down in the Mendoza wine country, the Andes, or Chile.  We will be back in February, and that might just be a fabulous month to come!  The weather is lovely; it is the last summer month, and the kids are out of school until March 1st.

Yup - that's the whole kitchen.  Watch your head- and
you really can touch both walls at once!

Our home is a small 2 bedroom cabana.  The kids all share one cramped room with three beds, and Adam and I cozy up in the double bed in the other.  Our couch is available for guests, but it is made of concrete and brick and is rather uncomfortable and small.  We do have an extra mattress in the living room (because where else would you put an extra bed?), and you are welcome to crash on that.  Our kitchen is tiny, our bathroom is tiny (but it has a bidet, which is lovely), and our walk to the beach is tiny.  Perfecto!

The back of the concrete couch!  Brick and mortar!

If crashing on the twin mattress in the living room doesn't sound appealing, we would be happy to help you rent a place in our little compound.  Daniela, the owner, is warm, friendly, and absolutely lovely.  She is full of kisses for everyone and tells us she loves us all the time (despite our complaints about the sewage flooding the bathroom, the smell in the bathroom, the heater not working, the oven not working, and everything else we complain about 😝).  There are casitas on our corner for 2-6 people.  The thing she does need to know are dates!!  If you are planning to come and want to rent a place, things are filling up fast for the summer months (Dec. - Feb.).  If you are planning to come with a larger group (like how about a JSIS winter break trip??), we can get the word out and look for a house for everyone to share.

Nothing like down jackets, beanies, and wool sweaters
in the house... got to get that heater working!

How long to stay...  It is a TREK to get down here.  We left on a Sunday and got to Puerto Madryn on Tuesday afternoon.  Puerto Madryn is 4 hours ahead of PST, but that doesn't account for much.  Once you arrive in Buenos Aires, you will probably need to stay the night unless you arrive early in the morning.  Even if you arrive early at the international airport, you will still need to get a bus across the city to the local airport.  Flights to Puerto Madryn do not leave from the International Airport.

That being said, unless you are hardcore, I would plan to stay for a minimum of 10 days in Argentina.  That accounts for 2 inter-country travel days and 4 days at two different locations.  In three to four days, you can see all of Puerto Madryn, and then have an additional four to five days to explore Buenos Aires, or Bariloche, or Iguasu Falls, or Ushuaia, or Mendoza, or any of the other amazing places the country has to offer.

Please be in touch and let us know your plans!  Estamos entusiasmado a comparte nuestro vida con ustedes!  Muchos Beso y Abrazos!